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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · perch · hide · mug · present · bound · rush · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. present — a gift
  3. mug — a face
  4. present — there
  5. pop — soda
  6. mug — a cup
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — certain
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bound — obliged
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com